Thirty years ago, after Zhang Jie expanded Pingxia City and blocked the route for the Dangxiang to attack the Song Dynasty through Meiyan Gorge, Empress Dowager Xiao Liang mobilized an army of 300,000 (claiming to be 500,000) to launch a fierce siege against Pingxia City.

However, he was defeated by Zhang Jie and returned home empty-handed.

After that battle, the Tanguts were terrified and, in the winter, began to implement a scorched-earth policy against the Song Dynasty.

They dug many cellars along the border, hid food in them, destroyed the goods of traveling merchants, and cleared everything from the Song-Xia border.

Those cellars are still in use today.

That year was also a cold winter, just like this year.

The Xia people hoped that the severe cold and hunger would stop the Song Dynasty army.

Furthermore, within the Xia Kingdom, the royal family, which had long been suppressed by the Empress Dowager's clan, saw hope for a comeback after Empress Dowager Xiao Liang's defeat.

The plan was executed by powerful generals such as Ama and Meile.

To increase their stakes, they brought in another descendant of a prominent family—Rindo Baozhong, the son of Rindo Lingding.

They volunteered to lead their men to be stationed at Tiandu Mountain, placing them at the forefront of the Western Xia defense line.

The plan is to train the troops thoroughly throughout the winter, and then launch an offensive in the spring.

Everything proceeded smoothly according to plan, and the scorched-earth policy at the front kept the Song army at bay outside the border.

But the reality was not as they expected. They were facing Zhang Jie, who had turned warfare into an art form. Not only did he cause the Dangxiang to suffer a major setback when defending, by expanding Pingxia City, but he also caught the Dangxiang completely off guard when attacking.

In that long and cruel winter, just like Zhao Huan faced, there was an endless white wasteland where all life hid away.

If it were an ordinary commander, he would definitely rest and recuperate to preserve his strength.

But what did Zhang Jie do?

He selected the elite cavalry from the four border routes, totaling 10,000 men.

This force of ten thousand men represented the strongest fighting force for the Song Dynasty.

Most people wouldn't dare take such a big risk to play like this in this kind of weather.

Because this seems to defy common sense in military matters.

But Zhang Jie dared to do it!

These 10,000 cavalrymen split into six groups and, in the freezing weather, embarked on a long march of a thousand miles, crossing the frozen wasteland and heading towards the sparsely populated Tiandu Mountain.

Weiming Amai, Meile, and Renduo Baozhong, who were still dreaming of a crushing defeat for the Song Dynasty next spring while still in Tiandu Mountain, were completely stunned by the sudden attack on the Song army's elite troops.

Weiming Amai and Meile were captured, and Rendo Baozhong hurriedly fled.

Zhang Jie shattered the Tangut royal family's dream, and afterwards, Ren Duo Baozhong was imprisoned for colluding with the Hou Party.

Weiming Amai and Meile never dreamed that they would be captured when they were least likely to be captured.

In the decades following Zhang Jie's death and during Tong Guan's lifetime, the pressure on the Tanguts was relatively much less.

The Tangut people were truly afraid of Zhang Jie, a renowned general who didn't play by the rules.

But they seem to have forgotten that the current emperor of the Song Dynasty is also someone who doesn't play by the rules.

On this day, Zhao Huan summoned Han Shizhong.

"Lord Yongwu, how many cavalrymen do you have in your vanguard?"

"Your Majesty, the Front Guard's strength has reached eight thousand!"

Don't underestimate these eight thousand. The Song Dynasty had neglected its horse administration for a long time, and the former Imperial Guard alone had eight thousand cavalrymen, which was already quite a lot.

Back then, Zhang Jie mobilized troops from four directions and finally found 10,000 elite cavalry.

Han Shizhong now has 8,000 elite troops in his vanguard.

This fully demonstrates that the new military and political reforms had a significant impact on the Song Dynasty army.

"Lord Yongwu, have you ever heard the story of Zhang Zhifu?"

"I often aspire to be like Chancellor Zhang!"

“Very good. You will lead eight thousand elite troops to cut off the Dangxiang reinforcements from Xingqing Prefecture to Hengshan,” Zhao Huan said with a smile. “At the fastest speed, just like Zhe Keshi and others led cavalry to attack Tiandu Mountain back then.”

Without a second thought, Han Shizhong replied, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

"Lord Yongwu, you must go as fast as you can, even faster than Li Ganshun's spies!"

"yes!"

The emperor, who was riding on horseback and marching with the main army, waved his hand, and a young man rode over.

"His Majesty!"

This was a young man dressed in white, with his head wrapped in a white headscarf and wearing a white hat. If it weren't for the horse he was riding, he would be hard to spot in this icy and snowy landscape.

Zhao Huan said, "Marquis Yongwu, this man is called Xiao Nuoyan. He has already mastered the Xia army's marching route. Take him with you, and he will tell you the specific address. Just focus on fighting well, and fight to the death for me!"

Han Shizhong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will never fail Your Majesty's expectations!"

Han Shizhong glanced at Xiao Nuoyan. Apart from his attire, which was perfect for hiding in the snow and ice, no matter how you looked at him, he seemed like the kind of person who would be lost in a crowd and never be found again.

Xiao Nuoyan bowed to Han Shizhong: "Greetings, Marquis Yongwu."

Han Shizhong bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

"All of them are to share the burdens of the Holy Emperor."

After Han Shizhong left, Zhao Huan turned to Zhong Shidao and said, "General Zhong, would it be feasible to send Yue Fei south of Hengshan now to attack Li Ganshun's main force?"

Zhong Shidao said, "Your Majesty, we should feign a shallow attack to attract the enemy chief's attention, making him think that our army is using a shallow attack strategy. He will never expect that Marquis Yongwu has already bypassed and outflanked the enemy's rear."

"Very well! Since General Zhong has spoken, I will do as General Zhong wishes!"

What else could Zhong Shidao say?

Zhong Shidao's strategic deployment was not like this. The five armies steadily advanced northward, while the Imperial Guards and the Fuyan Road army formed a pincer movement, advancing southward towards Hengshan to support the fortified villages there and confront Li Ganshun's main force head-on.

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